Most of you probably have a Facebook account, and most probably know or play Pet Society, Treasure Island, Cafe World, Bowling Buddies, Tower Bloxx, Social Town, Poker or Farmville. All of them are strategy and social games, exclusively available on this networking utility. If you have tried at least one of them by now you are probably addicted, especially if you tried Farmville.

Farmville is a real-time simulation game developed by Zynga, launched in June 2009 and available exclusively as an application on the Facebook network. The game allows players to manage and develop a farm by planting, growing and harvesting virtual crops, trees and raising livestock. From its launching, Farmville has become the most popular online game, with users representing over 20% of the Facebook users and over 1% of the population of the world. Still, the company considers  Farmville to be in a Beta testing stage even if the game is actually a clone of the popular FarmTown.

Lately, Farmville has been in the middle of a very disputed controversy. Apart from the fact that in the second part of 2009 the game had 63 million active users, being surpassed at the begging of the 2010 by Texas Hold-em Poker with 14 million daily players (Farmville still has about 8 million daily active gamers), Zynga has given Farmville users virtual cash for various advertising offers. For instance, the players would get virtual currency for signing up certain sites, like Netflix. The company has been accused of cheating its users through misleading offers, such as filling up surveys or IQ tests which in fact subscribe the users to an unwanted service, most of the times appearing on their phone bill. Inspite of the accusations, Facebook continues this policy because an important part of the money obtained from such leads is being reinvested inside the Facebook network. Still, Zynga removed all virtual cash offers in November 2009 but only on the pages of farmville.com domain. Even though the users that actually spend real money to obtain certain advantages in the game are a small percent of the total users, authorities suspect that most of them are actually underage, even though children under the age of 14 are not allowed to have a Facebook account. But if they really exist, the network will verify and cancel them. Still, the developing company, Zynga had 150 million profit last year from these practices.

Beyond the existing controversy, Farmville continues to be a very interesting phenomenon. More than 40 million virtual farms being registered in the farmville.com domain, 20 times more than the actual U.S. farms and still growing, the game reflects the condition of postmodern virtual farmers, tired of their lives in urban jungles around the world. Farmville users are actually given the possibility to achieve goods, to develop and to have a certain lifestyle, currently not available in this restrictive times.

Over the last few years, one of the most interesting events related with gaming is the increasing presence of such activities in libraries. Most of such institutions have been turning to gaming as a way of bringing in new demographic groups and exposing them to library services. This is mostly an American phenomenon and recently an American Library Association publication highlighted different types of activities in libraries, while other librarians have written about their experiences in books and online.

Gaming is rapidly growing in the area of media sales, as games sales are faster growing than box office sales and are predicted grow beyond music sales in the near future. Gaming in the library is not something new and it used to cause controversy in the past when libraries started adding fiction to their offerings and circulating recreational videos. Libraries are creating controversy today by supporting gaming through in-house gaming activities and circulating gaming material but the reality is that actual little data about how many libraries are supporting gaming and in what ways is being known.

A recent survey showed that most U.S. public libraries support gaming, at least seven out of ten of the public surveyed libraries supported gaming in some way. For decades, these institutions have supported gaming  by providing chess sets and other games in the children`s area but the most recent games enjoyed by patrons in libraries are the Web-based games. Even more interesting is the fact that women over the age of 40 are more likely to play these games than other demographic groups. Still, a big contrast  exists between the types of games offered by libraries and that`s why most of the researchers prefer to have a holistic perspective of the gaming in order to provide convincing results for their surveys.

What is sure is that larger libraries are more likely to support gaming and most of them host formal gaming programs including: board games, traditional games, console games, physical games, summer reading, card games, computer games and role playing games and 82% of the libraries did allow patrons to play games on the computer in the libraries as a part of an important strategy to bring gaming into their community. Libraries that support the recreational needs of their patrons through fiction or movies are simply extending their services to the popular entertainment media for a growing sector of the population.

Introducing the topic of gaming in a polite conversation might  actually kill it because most of the people believe that games are for children or adults who are trying to regain a lost adolescence, but the truth is that games can be a positive force in the teaching of history or other subjects. Recently, books and software with suggestions for designing gaming programs in library appeared. These materials can help librarians with sample forms, bibliographies and gamer`s glossary included for reference and seem essential to help developing collections and services that advance the needs and the skills of the young people they serve and not only.

As a result of this growing reality, American Libraries declared November 14 as National Gaming Day and it seems there is no turning back in this issue. So, game on!

For many PC games, a specialized game controller can provide you superior and more accuracy, even if in a FPS game, the accuracy of the keyboard and mouse can’t be surpassed. These PC gaming controllers are similar to that kind of Playstation or Xbox controllers offering you an incredible gaming experience.



For example, if you like flight simulator games, you certainly need to achieve a Saitek Cyborg Evo Force. For only $65, you can buy this joystick which, even if lit acks some high-end features, is an affordable and competent flight stick. You certainly will love this joystick because it will offer you smooth responsiveness and great force feedback. A unique feature of this controller is that it is able to switch the orientation for left and right-handers. It is easily to use and connect to a PC via USB. This joystick is excellent for a gamer which doesn’t have a lot of money to spend on high-end technology PC gaming controllers.



In our days, almost all gamepads feature feedback and the same number of keys placed in the same spot, so one of the most important factors in choosing a new gamepad is the personal preference. Here we present you the Saitek Cyborg Rumble Pad. At a price of $35, this gamepad comes with a very comfortable design and a switchable analog stick and D-pad so you can use it like an Xbox 360 or a Playstation 3 controller. Why it is so special? Well, the most attractive feature of this gamepad is that you can create different layout profiles for your favorite games. This gamepad has many other features like Precision Control and a special function which configures the buttons for a first-person shooter game (FPS).



If you love the racing games, you certainly need a Logitech G25 Racing Wheel. According to the customers, the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel can satisfy any gamer, offering everything you expect from a racing game controller.  Anyway, like all PC gaming controllers, this wheel controller can be connected to a PC via USB and is quite easy to use. Armed with 900-degree turn capability, great force feedback, leather wheel cover, clutch and six-gear shifter, the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel is capable to offer you impeccable gaming experience and makes the driving time seem so real. Because it has the best force feedback on the market, the G25 is made of durable metal components which offer a great resistance. Being one of the best racing controllers, the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel is available at a price of $225, a price which is not very affordable for everyone.



For those ultimate gamers we can only recommend the ultimate PC gaming controller, NaturalPoint TrackIR 4 Pro. With an estimation price of $100, this controller is capable to offer you more realism and total game immersion. But what this controller exactly do? The NaturalPoint TrackIR 4 Pro is composed of two devices: an infrared device which you need to connect to a hat or an earpiece and a special sensor which you need to set above your monitor. These two devices sense your head movements allowing you to zoom, change views or perform other functions during your gaming experience.

Games: The Netherlands does not know which way to turn
The Netherlands has entered the list of countries that do not know precisely determine their policy on online gaming. Gambling on the net still remains a social taboo.

The Netherlands has entered the list of countries that do not know precisely determine their policy on online gaming. France has often been mentioned as it has repeatedly stressed the guide for online casinos: www.casinoweb.org. This directory has often wrote papers explaining the many twists to explain his state monopoly and to announce the opening of sites online casinos and online poker players.

The Netherlands was in 2006, through the lower house passed a bill to allow online gaming. But this law had not only the Holland Casino is the French equivalent of the games in the Netherlands. Only the site was legal and all other casino sites that abound on the web were considered outlaws.

The upper chamber of the Netherlands has recently voted against the proposal to legalize online gambling in the Holland Casino. The Netherlands had taken a step forward and two are back by voting against this law. The vote was played on the wire because 37 votes were in disfavor the online gaming cons 35. The Netherlands then return back and all forms of online gambling is now illegal in the country of Gouda. Every Dutchman who played on a casino site online or bluffing a virtual poker room is considered illegal.

Europe is trying to speak as one voice will have trouble being heard because everyone is his own decision without consulting other countries. Brussels is clear in its policy on online games and expects every country to open its market. However, as can be seen with the Netherlands, countries make the decisions they want even taking the risk to alienate the European Commission. The United Kingdom and Malta have clear policies on online games and "whitelist" English gives carte blanche to casino sites, poker or sports on the web on this list. Of course, to be on this list, specific criteria and stringent checks are held for the online player can play without worrying about the reliability of the company behind a banner sports or casino.

It is likely that Amsterdam is called to order by Brussels. Moreover, it is one that fills the Netherlands rejected the games online. ACC 2008 (Casino Affiliate Convention combining the global online games editor's note), held, like every year, in Amsterdam last weekend. All the major casino groups as Euro Partners Cpays, 888, Vendome, etc. are given appointments to meet with the ACC directory of casinos and discuss the evolution of online gaming in the world.

The time that European countries are in tune on free online games, players continue to play on game sites online. Internet is a world without borders and free movement of people, goods and services and the basic foundation of the European Constitution.

The major global provider of innovative treatment solutions in the computing, graphics and markets consumer electronics, AMD  has announced a new and innovative program that was intended to help the election of the consumer computers completely agreed to the last game of high definition - the AMD Game!, combining the balance of powerful processors multidisciplinary basis, exceptional HD digital media processing power and graphics of the next generation, with the intended to simplify the process of determining system requirements for computer game for mainstream consumers.

"With the support of industry leaders in the computer game, the AMD GAME! ensures that consumers do not need a knowledge level of enthusiast computer hardware for an optimal gaming system, "said Nigel Dessau, vice president and senior marketing officer Chief , AMD."We in the computer industry owe consumers the same predictability, simplicity and affordability in finding a computer to play the console industry currently provides."

In addition, AMD has teamed with industry leaders including Acer, Alienware, Logitech and Microsoft to help built computer configurations that are optimized for all types of users.

"AMD and Microsoft share the vision of delivering a better experience playing on the running of computer operating systems of Microsoft Windows," said Kevin Unangst, senior global director of Microsoft's Games for Windows. "The program and AMD are both working to expand the accessibility and playing ease of use for consumers. Games for Windows titles and playing material from Microsoft, with AMD PLAY! initiative, are great examples of how we can bring more value to PC gamers across the industry. "

"AMD GAME! is a major initiative that will help Acer to drive consumers toward the best solution for their playing, "said Brian Bogaard, director of business product - the computer EMEA, Acer."The computer game is an important area for Acer and with the help of AMD, we can meet the expectations of consumers with an experience playing strong."

"We are pleased to see growing interest in computer game and now AMD adds much needed program to help continue this trend," Patrick Cooper, director of product group, Alienware. "The AMD Thurs! Experience enables Alienware to quickly and easily help consumers identify the experience that is right for them and the high performance Alienware solution that delivers. "

According to the company, "AMD PLAY! systems combine proven AMD technology including AMD Phenom processors, forthcoming AMD Turion processors Hyper AMD Athlon processors, ATI Radeon HD 3000 series graphics and AMD chipsets to deliver an improved and simplified the traditional computer playing the Experience". AMD's  game platform is available online and retail is available since the second half of 2008

Game video online at the foot of the Christmas tree, then it is the rapid drift in the virtual teenager blossomed. Faced with this nightmare scenario, European companies are alarmed a new "disease" for which the therapeutic means are lacking.



More Online Games - According to a recent study published in Germany and Britain in 2007, more than a regular player in ten shows signs of addiction. Even if these practices more excessive concern Asia, where the culture of online gaming is widespread, experts believe in France as in Germany than 1% to 2% of players' games massively multiplayer online (MMO) simulation games endlessly, have a practice of pathological nature, with a negative impact on their social life.

On average, gamers engage 35 to 40 hours per week online games, according to estimates. In France, nearly 60% of players recognize, however, have already played once at least ten hours and 5% reported spending more than 30 hours per week in the virtual world, according to a recent study by the "Rights Forum l 'internet' French agency for regulating the Internet.

It is usually far, however, 50 hours in a row having claimed the life of a compulsive gambler South Korea 28 years in a cybercafe in 2005. According to many experts, the criterion for assessing a pathological practice of online games is not so much the number of hours but the social disruption in reality.

"Unlike the forms of dependency-related substances, addiction to online games is recognized in society as a moral weakness but not as a disease," says Jakob Hein, head of the addiction to the Charity Hospital Berlin.

Yet this addiction "leads to similar problems in families and in the economy" and deserves the authorities treat "on the same level than the others in terms of prevention and intervention, he said. In Germany, the diagnosis of addiction to games is not recognized by health insurance funds, and specialized treatment centers can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

In his study, the German psychiatrist heard parents say they "prefer to see their children play on the internet rather than smoking cannabis. "Most experts agree that it is time to take seriously the issues of Internet addiction," says Professor Jean-Luc Venisse, chief of addiction to the hospital of Nantes.

And "they agree that they are not action games or puzzle games but simulation games, especially multiplayer role-playing (...) MMORPGs that have the highest risk of drift addictive in subjects fragile. These games continue to evolve in the absence of the player who then feel lacking when no longer connected or excluded by the rest of the gaming community.

"World of Warcraft," one of the games most likely to create dependency, more than 9.3 million subscribers worldwide.  This behavioral dependence, which moves slowly, is indicative of some discomfort (academic failure, lack of self recovery, etc. ...). In a parallel universe, players will find a virtual social environment, clear rules and a system of rewards and sanctions that they lack daily.

The phenomenon does not exist only at teens but also at fathers and mothers and the elderly, according to Laurent Baup, Legal Rights Forum on the internet.  When to sound the alarm? "From the moment you begin to wonder, is that we should have reacted long time," said the psychiatrist Jakob Hein. Ironically, it is often on the Internet platforms that parents of problem gamblers seek advice and support.

It is possible to copy computer games? Many computer games players are asking that. It is a common problem for many people. There are some ways to backup computer games? And if so, how can you do that? We'll try to give you some information about this issue to help you out when you want to copy a computer game.



Making a computer game copy it is depending on two essential things: What game is it; What burning model are you using. In order to figure out what software and options to use you need to identify what copy protection the game uses. To solve this issue you can use an A-Ray Scanner, the best way for that. Keep in mind that most multi-disc games will only have one that is protected. We also recommend for identifying what copy protection the game use Clony XXL. Obviously you want to make safe backups of some game that you own an license for, not illegal copies.

But, why you need a copy for your computer game? There are many reasons to want that. Maybe you collected lots of PC games and you want to make copies to protect them  by eventual damage caused by repeatedly use or scrape. Or you'll go in a vacation and a backup is always best on road. Or you'll want in the future to make a trade with your game and if your game is on a top condition, you'll be able to end the best deal. Even if you want to return the game after a short time, this will happen easily if your game is in a good condition. No less important is that backing up computer games will ensure you that your favourite game will last for a long time.

So, here is what you can do to make a copy of a computer game. There are softwares that you can apply on your computer to help you creat an empty media for backup. With appropriate game copy software you can copy computer games easily in safe conditions: high quality, less time without any loss. There are one click computer games backup solutions that makes very easy copying a PC game and keep video-audio at high level.

Beside being able to copy so many different game's, with a copy computer games software you have a few other advantages and functions included:
- You can copy the video game disc to disc;
- You can copy the video games to DVD's and CD's;
- Don't worry the copy of the game will be completely playable, all backup's can be played and re-copied in case that something will happen with the original;
- You can copy all kind of games;
As you can see, there is what you are looking for if you want to make a copy of a computer game.